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genericname
2010-10-08, 09:27 AM
So, I'm planning a campaign, and what I want to do is a futurue version of the 3.5 world. I see it as being the natural progression of the universe through an Industrial Revolution and a technological revolution to something that looks modern, but still in the universe. So, my problem is that I'm not sure how to do this, right now it looks like I'm stuck with an awkward combination of 3.5 and d20 modern. Any suggestions, opinions, comments?

Diarmuid
2010-10-08, 09:46 AM
I guess the obvious question is which D&D world are you looking to use? Also, the normal idea of an industrial revolution might seem a bit out of place in a world where magic exists.

I think you're best bet is simply go completely with d20 modern and refluff anything you need. Though this is assuming that d20 modern accounts for things like magic.

If not, then GURPS has that kind of versatility to mix guns, planes, etc with magic, psionics, etc.

DabblerWizard
2010-10-08, 11:13 AM
So, I'm planning a campaign, and what I want to do is a futurue version of the 3.5 world. I see it as being the natural progression of the universe through an Industrial Revolution and a technological revolution to something that looks modern, but still in the universe. So, my problem is that I'm not sure how to do this, right now it looks like I'm stuck with an awkward combination of 3.5 and d20 modern. Any suggestions, opinions, comments?

This sounds like an interesting idea.

"Standard" D&D is set somewhere in the middle ages, except with magic and fantasy elements. It sounds like you want to assume that technology and science will develop over time, leading to a more "realistic", "modern" world.

Let's work with that assumption.

One big question that needs to be answered is the following: how does magic's presence impact the development of technology and science? Do wizards take on the role of scientist and academic? Do they shun non-magical forces since "anyone" could learn science, but only some can learn magic? Do non-wizards use the power of technology to force magicians into submission?

Any of those above scenarios could lead to some interesting thought experiments, and interesting campaigns.

genericname
2010-10-08, 12:38 PM
I'm thinking of going low magic. The reliance on technology has lowered the 'need' for magic to manifest itself, so sorcerers and wizards are less common, and those that do occur are identified and trained in government run schools. They aren't turned into like government agents, but they are very closely monitored, I mean no one wants a squad of walking nukes running wild.

Magic itself is just ingrained in life, people recognize it as being a part of the world. If a family finds that their kid has magical abilities they're excited because it's like being guranteed a good life. Wizards tend to work with companies and governments aroud the world. However, I'm thinking that wizards in this world would be hyperspecialized so they would be required
to take the restricted school rule. Also, the back story is that there was a planar war so contacting planes without approval carries a death sentence.

And yes, this is a "technology progresses to semi modern" setting.

I would like to flesh this out more for you guys, but I'm on an iPhone right now, so I'll explain it more later.

Christopher K.
2010-10-08, 12:55 PM
Yeah, this sounds like a lot of fun. I'm thinking you might want to start with D&D itself and just reflavor things to fit the theme, if you want the campaign to play like D&D as opposed to anything else.

Tyndmyr
2010-10-08, 01:06 PM
I guess the obvious question is which D&D world are you looking to use? Also, the normal idea of an industrial revolution might seem a bit out of place in a world where magic exists.

I think you're best bet is simply go completely with d20 modern and refluff anything you need. Though this is assuming that d20 modern accounts for things like magic.

If not, then GURPS has that kind of versatility to mix guns, planes, etc with magic, psionics, etc.

It does. D20 has lots of magic goodies, though magic and melee are arguably more balanced in it. Guns will do that, as will death by massive damage.

kestrel404
2010-10-08, 01:55 PM
It sounds like what you want is a Parallel modern day earth, evolved from D&D. Well, if that's what you want, run with it!

If you're on modern earth, you don't need to make new maps - you can pull out an Atlas. You don't need to come up with the names of cities or important people, you can just use google. This frees up a lot of GMing resources for more interesting things like coming up with an interesting plot.

But if you're going to use this kind of Elseworld, you do need to put a good bit of thought into it. Details like the basis for various technologies, the current political issues and the ways in which war is fought are all going to be different in important and often disturbing ways.

For example, the issue of racism takes on entirely new depths and meaning when the person being discriminated against is a Kobold. Kobolds are inherently, significantly, measureably different from humans. And they're even more different from Dwarves. And when you've got a society that encompasses both and that still remembers a time when one race was enslaved while the other was free, the political and social tensions are going to be extreme to say the least (hence the residual racial bonuses to attacks). The occasional riot may not be terribly uncommon, and 'police brutality' will be a constant source of headaches for the various politicians whose job it is to keep the peace.

Another example is guns. What are the chances that guns run on gunpowder? I'd say it's pretty slim. Gunpowder is not terribly efficient when you get right down to it. It's just cheap. And there are all kinds of ways of making cheaper, more efficient and equally powerful substances using magic. Perhaps the Psionics have cornered the market by using Quintessence (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/dnd35/soveliorsage/psionicPowersQtoW.html#quintessence) to trap superheated water (water that has passed the boiling point but not yet become steam) outside of time, and you fire a gun with it by squirting the water out of the quintessence-lined chamber, causing it to expand explosively. Or maybe it's based on an alchemically preserved dragonfire which is ignited in the barrel of the gun and shoots - like dragon's breath - flamethrower style out of the barrel? Or both? Or that and a bunch of other methods.

Television is probably a form of scrying, with a magical control wand (the remote?) which is capable of tuning in only to specially prepared magical stages on which the actors perform live for audiences throughout the world.

Telephones are N/day use activated magic items of the Sending spell. This limits conversations to 25 words each way, unless a custom spell has been created. Or maybe they're based on the TV-Scrying magic and we've surpassed modern technology to get video tele-conferencing to the masses?

On the surface, the world looks almost the same as our modern world. Under that surface, you find that all of the details are skewed, different, limited in ways we wouldn't expect but also more flexible in ways we can hardly imagine.

Go nuts. Make it as serious or as comedic as you like but leave no stone untransmuted. This could be a really awesome place to explore as a gamer. I hope you come up with some great ideas.

genericname
2010-10-08, 06:04 PM
I think due to the limitation imposed on magic now, it'd be less commonplace. Maybe write an event that cause most of the magic users to disappear. Its very limited. High level clerics are limited as their gods give less power out, but low level clerics are common and take the role of doctors. They use basic medicine for most things as using magic is quite taxing, but they use magic for emergencies.

I hadn't actually thought of how racism would work... as in some cases it would kind of be justified.